Jackfruit Trivia | 30 facts about the exotic fruit

Jackfruit is an exotic & weird fruit, that just by its appearance you can see that it is special. This is why you need to learn more about it

Let’s find out more about it!

1. The jackfruit is also known as jack tree,
2. Its scientific name is Artocarpus heterophyllus.
3. It is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae).
4. Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India and the rainforests of Malaysia.
5. The jack tree is well-suited to tropical lowlands.
6. It is widely cultivated throughout tropical regions of the world.
7. It bears the largest fruit of all trees, reaching as much as 55 kg (120 pounds) in weight, 90 cm (35 inches) in length, and 50 cm (20 inches) in diameter.
8. A mature jack tree produces some 200 fruits per year, with older trees bearing up to 500 fruits in a year.
9. The jackfruit is a multiple fruit composed of hundreds to thousands of individual flowers, and the fleshy petals of the unripe fruit are eaten.
10. The ripe fruit is sweet (depending on variety) and is more often used for desserts.
11. Canned green jackfruit has a mild taste and meat-like texture that lends itself to being called a “vegetable meat”.
12. Jackfruit is commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines.
13. Both ripe and unripe fruits are consumed.
14. The jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
15. It is the state fruit of the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
16. It is available internationally canned or frozen and in chilled meals as are various products derived from the fruit such as noodles and chips.
17. It is actually called an ‘aril’. It’s a flower and we eat the edible petals.
18. One jackfruit contains hundreds of flowers and one tree can grow 250 fruits per year.
19. Jackfruit seeds are edible and healthy, and you can also boil them up and make a lovely attempt at hummus.
20. It is said to smell and taste like a cross between very ripe bananas and pineapple, with a twist of apple and mango. It’s a confused fruit!
21. There are many varities of jackfruit, some are pithy inside and some are very sweet and tender.
22. Using jackfruit as a meat substitute is nothing new. In Thailand it’s sought after by vegetarians and historically called ‘gacch patha’ (tree mutton!)
23. 8) In Indonesia, the wood of the jackfruit tree is used to maked the famous ‘gamelan’ drums.  Popular in Bali (see video below).  The leaves are also fed to cattle, but also make a nice alternative to other greens.
24. In Indonesia, they make chips out of jackfruit, called Kripik.  You can buy them and eat them like crisps.
25. Every part of the jackfruit tree is medicinally beneficial, the bark, leaves, pulp, skin and roots.  It is also antibacterial and anitviral.
26. The word jackfruit comes from Portuguese jaca, which in turn is derived from the Malayalam language term chakka , when the Portuguese arrived in India at Kozhikode (Calicut) on the Malabar Coast (Kerala) in 1499.
27. Later the Malayalam name ചക്ക (cakka) was recorded by Hendrik van Rheede (1678–1703) in the Hortus Malabaricus, vol. iii in Latin. Henry Yule translated the book in Jordanus Catalani’s (fl. 1321–1330) Mirabilia descripta: the wonders of the East.This term is in turn derived from the Proto-Dravidian root kā(y) (“fruit, vegetable”)
28. The common English name “jackfruit” was used by physician and naturalist Garcia de Orta in his 1563 book Colóquios dos simples e drogas da India.
29. Centuries later, botanist Ralph Randles Stewart suggested it was named after William Jack (1795–1822), a Scottish botanist who worked for the East India Company in Bengal, Sumatra, and Malaya.
30. Jackfruit cannot survive on cold climate and young trees may die at temperatures below 0 °C (32° F).